Beyond the Sea
by Color Scheming
Summary: This is an AU in which Eleanor and Sinclair make it to the surface, their relationship strained tremendously by the death of Delta. How will they learn to settle their conflict and forgive each other? Tenenbaum and Porter are researching the cure for Adam, but it is impossible to accomplish without returning to the ruined city.
1. Chapter 1

Sinclair ran down the hall, Eleanor right beside him, but they didn't even notice when Delta fell behind, and that is where they failed. When the sound of those bombs echoed out, they all made a run for it, toward the only thing that could carry them to safety. The lifeboat. Eleanor and Sinclair almost collided at the end of the hall, with the sudden stop they both made, because right before them was explosives, enough to kill all three of them. Before Sinclair could react, Eleanor grabbed him, he watched as she reached out to Delta, right before his vision was filled with purple light. But when he came to, Delta wasn't with them, and he was in the inside of the lifeboat which had filled with water, complete with a certain psychologist of the crazed variety. Sinclair watched as Eleanor swam towards her, moving as a snake would, he expected her to pull that woman under for all she did. But she didn't. She saved her. But with the look in Sofia's eyes, he would've thought that Eleanor had gutted her. Sinclair was shocked, in fact he almost went over there and offed her himself, except he knew Delta was watching. And he could feel his eyes on the both of them, he seemed to be studying her, and Sinclair could see his shoulders slump in relief as she slipped the mask over Sofia's face.

When they surfaced, Eleanor moved quicker than he had ever seen her go, running to the sealed door of the submersible and pushing it open. Despite all the water that pushed its way passed her, she ran to Delta. The sky was gray, and in the distance thunder could be heard, but Eleanor didn't seem to notice as she knelt by his side. Undoing the bolts that kept his diver's mask on, Sinclair set it aside, running to him as well, but with the glance Eleanor gave him, he knew to keep his distance. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she held the needle above his chest, but to the surprise of both of them, Delta pushed her hand down, his only chance at salvation, but Sinclair knew he knew it was Eleanor's only chance at redemption. She was really balling now, as she dragged him to the edge. For a second, Sinclair thought she would throw him right back into the ocean, but she didn't, she just sat down right beside him, and Sinclair cautiously did the same. He had goodbyes to say too, but was trying to keep the tears that blurred his vision from falling.

Delta turned once more to look at Eleanor, not even acknowledging Sinclair's presence, before he collapsed. And they knew he was gone. Sinclair couldn't keep the tears back any more as sobs racked his body, but Eleanor was stronger, she wiped the tears off of her face and turned towards him. The look in her eyes burned through his suit. It held all the blame and the grief and the suffering that was in her, and he knew she hated him. He knew she would never forgive him for what he had caused. Sinclair tried to pretend he didn't see that glare, he just sat there next to Delta's body, trying to muffle every note of sorrow in his cupped hands. It was in that moment that he wished he had kept the mask on, that he had died in Persephone and gotten what he deserved. Yet Delta didn't let that happen. Sinclair told him to, yet he didn't. Now here they are, his body perched precariously close to the water, his hand sending ripples through his reflection. But if it had turned out differently, Sinclair thought, wouldn't this still be the outcome. He would always end up dying because of the broken bond, but that is something he would never tell Eleanor.

Sinclair just sat there watching the waves hit the boat, trying to make the tears stop, but he couldn't. He couldn't even explain his feelings, Sinclair didn't even understand them. He didn't understand why he was hit so hard at the loss of someone who he only knew for a day. He didn't understand the burning pain in his chest as he looked down at Delta's body and wondered why he lived and Delta didn't. Maybe it was survivor's guilt. But he knew it wasn't. It was something more than just that, something he couldn't put his finger on, or refused to admit.

Sinclair was still sitting there when Eleanor stood up, she had stopped crying and the look on her face was somber and her eyes were like the stormclouds that gathered overhead. He watched as she left Delta's body, and Sinclair was surprised she only looked back once. She walked into the inside of the sub, disappearing from his view, but he knew exactly what she was doing when he heard the sounds of the motors coming to life. She was taking them back to shore. Back to the land of the living. Back where they didn't belong, nor were prepared to be. What would they tell them? Where would they go? Sinclair couldn't fathom what he was going to do, just as he couldn't fathom all that had happened in the short time from when Delta came crashing into his equation to now. It seemed so unreal, like he would wake up any moment now back in his office in Persephone. And he almost hoped he would. Almost.

Eleanor walked back out, standing behind him, and he was surprised when she spoke up, her voice was cold and hard. "We need to find Tenenbaum."

"Why?" Sinclair asked, still staring out into the ocean.

"Because she is the only person that can help us now." Eleanor's gaze was solemn as she looked out at the ocean, and he knew she was pondering the loneliness ahead of the both of them. The wind blew by them, filled with the scent of salt and exhaust, and he realized that this is the first time he'd felt fresh air in nearly twenty years, but it was impossible to enjoy under the circumstances.

The boat jerked forward, catching both Eleanor and Sinclair off guard, almost sending Delta's body into the ocean. Sinclair quickly grabbed him, wrapping his arms around Delta's torso, and the look Eleanor gave him was as if he had just committed an act of violence against her. Sinclair looked up at her, his eyes were filled with sadness and tears that threatened to spill over again, and Eleanor stormed off back into the inside of the sub, leaving Sinclair alone again.

Sinclair still held onto Delta, for some reason, and he realized that this was their first non-hostile contact. It was strange, Sinclair thought, that he had met him at Ryan Amusements no more than a day prior to now, and here he was, as cold as the ice that he had melted at the station where they had met and as dead as the city itself. Sinclair stayed that way until they reached shore a hours later, even though he knew Eleanor was not happy with it.


	2. Chapter 2

Brigid Tenenbaum sat on the couch in her living room, the girls were visiting Jack for the weekend so that she and Porter could finish up their work on the Thinker. She needed to discuss his… condition with him while she had the chance. While she was thinking about Porter's unique condition, the gene biologist found that her mind kept wandering back to Subject Delta and Eleanor Lamb. Tenenbaum wondered if they would ever find her, or if they even made it back to the surface at all. She hoped that they would one day find her again, so that she could repay Delta for saving her life at the ticket booth. Although the Adam cure was still in the first stages of its development, it had still worked on Porter, so there was hope. Before her train of thought could get any further, Porter stepped down the stairs, weakly holding onto the sides for support. She motioned for him to sit down next to her before speaking. Now was as good a time as any to talk to him about it, better to get it over with.

"Mister Porter, I am very glad to see you awake, but I have something to discuss with you." He nodded cautiously, his dark brown eyes meeting Tenenbaum's own dark green eyes, staring at her intently. "It is about the Adam cure I've have been working on, thanks to the Thinker. I fear that it is without use here on the surface"

Porter held his hand in front of him, pressing his fingers against his thumb and moving it over his open palm. Tenenbaum realized that he was motioning for paper and something to write with. She quickly grabbed the notebook she had been writing on along with the pen that was on top of it. Porter quickly flipped the page and started writing. "_What do you mean?_" The look on his face was one of cautious intrigue and dread.

"You know what I mean." Tenenbaum's gaze was cold and empty, and she was trying to forget all she had seen, but that never worked, and she knew the ghosts of all she had done would haunt her as long as she drew breath.

"_No, I don't." _Porter wrote down, his eyes gave away his knowledge. The dread reflected in his eyes reminded her of how much he had gone through already, and she felt bad for asking him. But it had to be done. Tenenbaum was surprised how fast the memories returned to him, she had only applied the prototype cure on him hours earlier and already he was recovering.

"We need to go back. Back to that place. That horrid place. It is the only way we can help. The only way to stop the Rapture Nightmare." She closed her eyes, shutting the tears in.

Porter's expression was one of shock and dismay, and Tenenbaum was almost certain he would refuse to go. And how could she blame him? After all he went through down there. Alpha series conversion had left him mute, even though he looked almost completely normal, save for a few scars here and there, the cure couldn't undo the surgery that removed his tongue and took his voice. But the mental scars were far deeper than any of the ones on the outside, the cure had restored his memories and Tenenbaum feared that it might have too much for the man to handle.

"You are the first of your kind, Mister Porter, unique in many ways. The first of the Alpha series to ever be restored to humanity. That is a very big step." Her German accent was filled with hope. "Maybe, one of the other Alpha's can be helped. His name is Subject Delta, protector of Eleanor Lamb."

"He could help us if restored to his original state. You see, Herr Delta was a deep sea diver that went by the alias Johnny Topside, as I'm sure you recall now, and that skill could be useful."

Porter's gaze was cautious and thoughtful, and she knew he was thinking about it. "Will you come with me, knowing this." She looked him square in the face, her eyes burning into him. "I need you." Both her eyes and voice were pleading, and she could see Porter's tense shoulders slowly lower.

"_Fine,"_ he wrote cautiously, his eyes never breaking contact with Tenenbaum's.

She smiled at him, not a warm and happy one, but a smile filled with sadness and memories, and Tenenbaum knew he understood that sad smile.

"Thank y-" she was cut off by the door slamming open.

There in the doorway stood Jack, his large frame filling the door, behind him stood the girls. The one named Sally pushed in front of him before speaking.

"Miss Tenenbaum, come quick! There are people from Rapture at the beach!" The blond haired girl was no older than 16, and Tenenbaum was surprised to hear her say that. Something she hadn't expected to ever hear.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Hon." Jack ran over to Tenenbaum, brushing aside stray strands of his light brown hair. "There's some people who I think you'd want to see on the beach. Quickly."

"How do you know they are from Rapture!?" Her voice was filled with panic.

"Trust me, they're from Rapture alright," Jack responded. " A real big fella and a black haired girl."

"What do you mean 'big fellow'?" Tenenbaum almost shouted.

"A _real big fella," _he looked her in the eyes and she already knew what she meant. " A big Daddy."

Her eyes widened, and before she realized it she was bolting out the door, Porter not far behind her. Jack stared for a moment before sprinting off after them, the not so little sisters hot on his tail. Jack's run was rather awkward because of his size, while Tenenbaum's was sharp and fast, only impeded by her long skirt. Porter followed after her in an awkward stumbling way, huffing and puffing as he got used to running outside of his diver's suit.

Tenenbaum made a mad dash for the ocean, she could hear Jack calling out to her, but she still didn't stop. She was hoping that it was Delta, that he had finally found Eleanor and escaped that horrible place. The sound of her heels hitting the ground was loud and the only thing she allowed herself to hear as she ran.

Jack ran clumsily behind, he could see Tenenbaum running ahead of him. He really didn't know that she could run so fast. The smell of the salt water got stronger and stronger as they got closer and closer to the water, and Jack thanked whatever god might be up there that they were getting close, because he didn't know if he could keep up the pace for much longer. His heart was pounding in his chest, Sally laughed at him before pulling him along faster by the arm. Jack was pretty sure his legs were going to break like porcelain.

Tenenbaum was relieved when she could hear the sound of waves sweeping over the shore. She slowed down a bit and waited for Porter to catch up, she couldn't slow down enough for Jack without stopping completely, so she went at a brisk pace. Her lungs were on fire, but she needed to see who these people were.

When she reached the shore, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Washed up on the beach was a small submersible, on it was an Alpha series big daddy that she didn't recognize. They were definitely not Delta, judging by the color of their suit. By this time Jack had made it to the shore with the girls, but Tenenbaum motioned for him to keep a distance. This monster could be dangerous, like many other Alphas were, and she didn't want them getting hurt. She cautiously approached him, her hand held out defensively in front of her. She slowly walked up to him, his shoulders were slumped in a defeated way, as he came closer she noticed that the symbol on his hand read Omega. Which worried her, because, as far as she knew, the Alpha series line never made it that far. As she inched closer to them, she gave Jack and Porter another warning glance to stay back. When they noticed her, they held up their hands in the air, almost as a sign of non-hostility, and they they walked toward her a bit faster than she came to them. When he came close enough, he cautiously reached out to her hand and shook it. She was so startled by that gesture, that she almost jumped back.

"Who-who are you?" She cautiously asked, raising one of her eyebrows.

They didn't respond, he just got to work undoing the latches that held the diver's mask on. When the mask dropped, she wasn't prepared for what she saw.


	3. Chapter 3

Sinclair could see the shore in the distance, just a line at the horizon that kept getting bigger and bigger. And he knew he had to do what he never expected to do ever again. To actually fit back into a society that wasn't run by a madman obsessed with progression. He was almost afraid. Almost. But the thing he feared most on the surface was not actually from the surface, it was Eleanor. He didn't know if she would want to be around him after what had happened with her father, and that was what he was afraid of. He was afraid of being alone, being abandoned. Sinclair didn't want Eleanor to leave him, not like this. He wanted to be around something familiar, and the closest thing he could get to familiar was Eleanor. Everytime he looked at her, he was reminded of Delta. Of their short journey together, and he knew he couldn't live without that feeling. Because when he was with Delta, he finally had a purpose that wasn't just his survival. He had a family when he was with Delta, and he'd be damned if he let that slip away. Sinclair wanted to patch things up with Eleanor, but a part of him knew that she would never forgive him, and how could he blame her? It was partially his fault that Delta was dead. If only he hadn't been so careless, then maybe Delta would be standing here with them, maybe he wouldn't be just a corpse, another victim of Rapture. Just another body on Sinclair's already high body count.

As they came closer and closer to sure, Sinclair put Delta's body to the side, making his way to where his abandoned diving helmet lay. Sinclair lifted the large mask, letting his hands slide over its dented surface where Delta had hit it with his drill. He looked at the scratches and dents, running his gloved fingers over them, and he felt like crying again. He closed his eyes to shut in the tears as he held the helmet close to his body, the helmet reminded him of all that had happened. The helmet, like himself, was dented and scratched and scarred, but not broken. Never broken. Delta made sure of that.

Eleanor walked out of the inside of the submersible, her gaze was cold as she looked at him. "We will be reaching the shore soon," her voice was so familiar, yet he hadn't heard it until he was already in Persephone. The accent that was so much like her mother's, even in the cruel form it came to him in, was like cool water while her mother's voice was fire, burning him to the core. But when he heard Eleanor's voice, those burns were soothed. Maybe it was because she reminded him so much of Delta, or maybe because she reminded him of their journey too. She was beaten and bloodied, yet she stood tall and strong, another product of Delta's work.

Eleanor walked over to the opposite side of the boat, looking towards the shore, her eyes unreadable. Sinclair put the diving helmet over his head, working to get the latches back into place. After fixing the helmet back onto the suit, he looked toward the shore and realized how close they were to facing the moment Sinclair had been dreading. They'd be at the beach any minute and just the thought made him feel sick to his stomach. Eleanor just continued looking at the shore with those intelligent blue eyes of hers, and Sinclair realized that she was crying. Her eyes were red and puffy, and tears rolled down her cheeks. He finally realized why she had gone back inside of the boat after he grabbed Delta's body earlier, and guilt hit him like a shotgun blast. He walked up to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Listen, sugar, I'm real sorry about what happened to your daddy," his voice was choked yet still smooth, and he was trying to repress his own sadness. "I know how important he was to you, and I want you to know that I'm here if you need me."

"No you're not," Eleanor said quietly, with one hand she pushed his hand away and and with the other she covered her eyes. She was wiping away her tears as she made her way to the other side of the boat.

By this time, they were almost to shore, and Sinclair was trying desperately to think of what to say to the people that would find them. The sub slowly beached itself, after it was completely out of the water, the whirring of the engines stopped. In the distance, Sinclair spotted some people. the most noticeable was a tall man with light brown hair, even from far away, Sinclair knew he was frightened of them. The man rounded up his daughters and ran, not stopping to look back.

Sinclair decided to linger just a bit longer on the boat, he had unfinished business to take care of. Walking back around the boat, he knelt down next to Delta's body, so close that his visor almost touched the other man's. Placing his hands on the sides of the Delta's helmet, he began to talk in a low whisper.

"You did good, kid. Goodbye," his words were sticking to one another and Sinclair could barely get them out of his chest. He stayed like that for awhile, just looking down at Delta and trying not to cry.

He was startled by a light kick, Eleanor was standing there, her arms crossed. And from the look on her face, her arms weren't the only thing that was crossed. Sinclair quickly got up, and noticed that there were more people on the each now. In the distance, Sinclair spotted the man that ran away, but this time he had brought two people. One of them was vaguely familiar, but the other he recognized in a heart beat. What was he going to say to her? He desperately searched his head for those words, but came up empty. Eleanor was growing more and more impatient, and the other woman was now cautiously making her way to the boat, motioning to the others to stay back. Now was as good a time as any, Sinclair thought.

He made his way off the boat, his shoulders were slumped as he walked slowly towards her. She seemed very frightened, so Sinclair raised his hands in the air to show he was unarmed and not planning to charge. Her hand was outstretched in front of herself, her dark green eyes were wide and alert, she glanced back at the others as a sort of warning. Sinclair really was glad it was her who found them, it would have been a world of trouble if anyone else did. She was still panicking, and he knew he had to do something fast. He slowly reached out, gently taking her hand in his and shaking it. She relaxed a little, but her eyes were still fearful.

"Who-who are you?" Her german accent was thick and full of caution and fear.

Sinclair didn't answer. he just got to work undoing the latches of his diving mask. Slowly pulling it off and holding it to his chest, he could see the shock in her eyes and her mouth dropped open.

"Sinclair?" Her voice shook and he was surprised she didn't pinch herself to make sure she was awake. "Where is Delta and Eleanor?"

"Well, Tenenbaum," he forced his voice to return to its normal smooth drawl, "I hate to be the harbinger of bad news, but I have some."

"What happened?!" She seemed more concerned than anything else now.

"Well Eleanor is here, she's fine, but…" Sinclair desperately searched for the words. "He isn't."

"What do you mean?" Tenenbaum glanced back to the sub.

"He's dead," Sinclair nearly choked on the words, he had wanted to avoid saying those words.

"I am sorry to hear that…" Tenenbaum's look was one of shock and grief, her tone was apologetic. "But how did all of this happen? Why are you in an Alpha suit?"

"We need to go somewhere less open," he said, glancing around, "then I'll tell you the whole story."

Tenenbaum nodded, turning back towards the others. The man from before stepped forward, his brown, doe like eyes looking cautiously up at Sinclair. "This is Jack, he will help you."

"Can you hold on for just a second, I have something I need to say to Eleanor." He quickly went back to the boat and walked to where Eleanor was watching them from.

"Eleanor, what should we do with _her_," he spat out the word as if it was poison.

"Nothing. She will grow old and die knowing that I rejected her." Eleanor gave her mother a cold glance before walking past him.

"Fair enough," Sinclair said, walking after her.

The two of them joined up with Tenenbaum and the others, making their way back to her house. The girls stared at him, and he realized that they had probably never seen an Alpha big daddy before. He felt old, and he realized that he was.


	4. Chapter 4

Eleanor and Sinclair hurriedly followed Tenenbaum back to her house, the brown haired man from earlier had since fallen behind them, making sure that there was no one around. He seemed awfully anxious for someone of his size and build, he hung his head low and his eyes were constantly glancing side to side, his fingers fiddles nervously with the cuffs of his shirt. He seemed to jump at every sudden movement, but not the running sort of jump, the jump that made you reach for your gun and pull the trigger, this worried Sinclair. Eleanor seemed to be a bit very vigilant of the man, giving him an eagle-eyed glance with those storm cloud eyes of hers. The man seemed acutely aware of Eleanor's glare, he seemed to almost tear apart the cuffs of his shirt in nervousness. Sinclair almost felt sorry for him, the way he seemed to think the world was after him.

After just a little while of walking, they arrived at Tenenbaums house, a large plantation style home with large pillars in the front. She led them through the front door, Sinclair had a bit of a hard time fitting through because of his diving suit and ended up having to squeeze in sideways. They walked into the large living room of the house, and Tenenbaum motioned for them to sit down. She waited for them to be seated before she spoke.

"Sorry, the house is quite a mess. It is very old and the only ones that live here are Jack and I. I have had this place since before coming to Rapture," she said, her face went solemn as she continued speaking. "Anyway, why are you like this Sinclair? What happened?"

Sinclair wasn't keen on talking, especially not about all that had happened. It all felt like a dream. A very, very bad dream. He felt like he would just wake up back in the train car and that Delta would be in the front guiding the train as usually. Sinclair almost pinched himself to see if this was true. But it wasn't.

" Doc Lamb severed the kid's bond with Eleanor." Sinclair was happy that he could get even that out.

"How?" Tenenbaum looked at Eleanor, she had a very good reason to be surprised.

"She stopped my heart just long enough to do so," Eleanor spoke up, her eyes were dull and unreadable, but her voice was cold with anger and sorrow.

"I see, but how does Sinclair becoming a big daddy play a part in any of this?" Tenenbaum seemed a bit confused now, her voice and posture filled with interest.

"When he knocked out, I went after him. As soon as I stepped foot in that place, every splicer that side of the city was hot on my tail. I was captured and… well… the rest is history." Sinclair's sad smile was almost a betrayal, he was trying to keep from crying again, and tears stung the sides of his eyes.

"How did you escape?"

"I had a lifeboat hidden away in Persephone as a sort of last resort. Just in case Rapture didn't work out. We used that." Sinclair could feel Eleanor staring and it felt like every eye in the world was turned towards him.

"Mother tried to sink the place. Father died in one of the explosions," Eleanor was starting to choke up, her voice trembled and cracked. "I couldn't reach him fast enough. He was so close…"

Sinclair made the mistake of placing his hand on her shoulder. Eleanor angrily pushed it off. "Oh don't give me that!" She shouted as she stood up. "You are the reason he is dead. If only father had let you just die in Persephone, to just let you rot where you belong. I wish I'd never reprogrammed that Vita-Chamber for you!"

Before Sinclair could react, Eleanor disappeared in flash of purple light, leaving Sinclair alone with Tenenbaum, the two other men, and the not so little anymore sisters. He cupped his face in his hands, even though her words were brief, they cut him deep. It was his fault. Wasn't it? Sinclair would never wish this kind of remorse on anybody. His heart and body ached and he was oh so aware of everything now. He was aware of the diving suit he was wearing, its dark grey color and the symbol on his hand seemed to be mocking. The silver colored helmet's one port hole seemed to be judging him. He felt like the walls were closing in on him. Like every eye in Rapture was staring at him mockingly, he could almost see the splicers, their mouths all in wide grins, laughing at his failure.

The brown haired man's porcelain face wore an anxious expression, his eyes shone with stress and fear, he raised a hand to his broad chest and disappeared in cloud of red haze. The other man looked at where the other had been with a confused stare.

"Jack! You get back here right now!" Tenenbaum shouted. As soon as she said that, the man appeared next to her in another cloud. He whispered something in her ear, and her face softened, her eyes understanding, and she allowed him to disappear again without any hassle.

The rest of them sat in silence for a minute, even the girls were quiet. It was an awkward silence, and the tension in the air could have been cut with a butter knife. One of the girls stepped forward, her eyes were as blue as the sky and her hair looked like spun gold, she looked at the door as she spoke.

"I'll go after them," her voice was filled with worry and responsibility.

"How do you know where they are going?" Tenenbaum asked, her voice inquisitive.

"I picked up a few tricks from my time as a Sister," with that she ran out of the door and out into the darkening night. The other girls left also, not after her, but toward their home.

"That girl… always so full of spirit," Tenenbaum's voice was filled with a strange sense of nostalgia. "Sinclair. While they are out looking for Eleanor, I better start removing you from that suit. It could take a while and it is better to just get it over with."

With that, she led him away, leaving the other man alone. The man gave a tired sigh and walked out onto the porch, just staring off in the direction of the ocean.

* * *

When Sinclair awoke, every part of his body ached, and he was very aware of how air seemed to sting some places more than others. His memories all seemed so distant and , so much so that they only remained as faint outlines. And he was grateful of that for some reason, even though he knew they would clear soon. When he looked around, he noticed that a man with very light brown hair was sitting on a chair next to his bed. Sinclair nearly jumped but found that he couldn't move very much without pain shooting through his body. The man's greenish-brown eyes shone with worry and curiosity, and Sinclair knew that he was about to ask him some questions. Ones that he was not fit to answer at the moment, He wasn't the least bit surprised when the man spoke.

"Calm down, there's no need to be afraid," his deep voice was very fatherly for someone of his age, although every word seemed to be painful and hoarse. "I haven't introduced myself, how rude of me. My name is Jack. Jack Ryan."

"That name sounds familiar," Sinclair said, he couldn't quite remember at the moment. "Have we met before?"

"No, but I'm sure you've met my father."

"Who was he?" Sinclair was just focusing on looking up at the ceiling.

"Andrew Ryan."

"How old are you?" Sinclair's eyes were wide with shock and astonishment. "I don't remember ol' Andy having any kids."

"I'm twelve," Jack said casually.

"How is that even possible?" Sinclair almost didn't believe it, but after what he saw in Rapture, nothing was out of the question.

"It shouldn't be possible. By all standards I shouldn't even exist. I'm a product of science and Rapture," Jack's eyes were filled with a wisdom that Sinclair couldn't even fathom.

Sinclair just stared up at the ceiling. The memories were coming closer and closer, and where they were hazes, they were now silhouettes. He still didn't remember why he was here. Or how he got here. Sinclair felt like there was something, or someone, important that he couldn't remember. They were still a shadow in the dark horizon of his mind, but he felt like they were someone he both didn't and did want to remember. His head ached.

"I have some questions for you," Jack said, leaning up against the bed.

"Like what?" Sinclair almost grumbled in his pained state.

"What was he to you?" Jack's question didn't register in his mind. Who was "he"?

"What?" Sinclair was so confused, but he knew he wouldn't be soon. He could feel the memories fast approach, where they were silhouettes, they were now figures.

"That Subject Delta man? The man you guided through Rapture?" Sinclair then remembered him. Delta. Where was he?

"Where is that kid? Haven't seen him in a while." As soon as those string of words left his mouth, he knew he would regret them. Memories were resurfacing, and things weren't looking good for the kid.

Jack looked genuinely uncomfortable, like he had something to say but didn't want to say it. His pale eyes were cast down, and Sinclair could see him struggling. He desperately wanted Jack to tell him what had happened to Delta before he remembered himself.

"What happened to him?" Sinclair was calm as he looked up at the ceiling, it was more of a question to himself than anyone else.

"He…" Jack was stammering, looking for words that he didn't know how to make. "He's gone."

That answer didn't surprise him. And Sinclair was amazed that it only hurt a little. He remembered Persephone now. He remembered his Alpha series conversion. He remembered his fight with Delta, but not the end of it. Did he kill Delta? Surely not, how could he be even slightly a match for someone like him? As old and broken as he was.

"I'm sorry," Jack looked down, his eyes were sad and unsure.

"It's fine, son. You ain't gotta reason to apologize. It's all coming back to me now." Sinclair focused on the ceiling. The memories were so close now, where they were figures, they were now had solid form. He remembered their journey. He remembered Eleanor. Where was she? He remembered his promise to Delta, the one he made in Persephone. The haze that was over him was now almost gone.

"You've been out for a few days now," Jack's voice was still quiet," we've already buried him."

"That's good. It would be criminal if someone like that was left out to rot." Sinclair was relieved that he wasn't at the burial.

"But what was he to you?" Jack asked again, and this time Sinclair understood the question. But he didn't know how to answer that. He didn't even know what Delta was to him. Sinclair didn't even know who he was until they reached Persephone.

"In all honesty, I don't know." Sinclair didn't like this question.

"How do you not know?" Jack seemed genuinely confused. "Is it because of something that happened?"

"Sort of, but not in the way you're thinking, son."

"What happened?" Jack's eyes were filled with interest.

"It's a long story," Sinclair wasn't in the mood to tell long stories.

"I'm a good listener," Jack stared at him with those childlike eyes. Sinclair had to admit, the kid was kind of endearing.

(Sorry, I have to end it here. I know it's a really bad place to stop, but I know I'm not going to get to the part I want. Next chapter I'm hoping to write more from Eleanor's point of view, so that'll be fun because I've really wanted to show Eleanor's feelings in the narrative. I didn't want it to feel like I was bastardizing her to glorify another character that's why.)


	5. Chapter 5

Eleanor ran and ran, not even bothering to look back. Tears of anger rolled down her cheeks as warm and wet beads. She was so confused. What was she even doing? Where was she going? The only feeling that she understood was the anger that burned in her chest and flooded her eyes. Her sides ached and her breaths were heavy and constant, she had been running for a while. She didn't care, the only thing she really cared about was getting away. She didn't want anybody following her. Not Sinclair. Not the nervous man. Not the girls. Not even Tenenbaum. She just wanted to be alone with the crushing sorrow that fell hard on her shoulders and threatened to crush her under its massive weight. Eleanor felt like her own tears that welled up and overflowed, sliding down and falling, only to shatter where they landed. Eleanor felt like she would shatter too, because of where she had landed.

Eleanor didn't stop running until she made it back to the beach. She jumped down into the sand, her metal boots sinking slightly into the fine grains. She didn't know what she was doing as she collapsed to the ground, kneeling in the soft sand. She was blinded by her own tears that seemed to never end. She hated her mother. She hated Sinclair. She hated whatever god was up there watching this. And most of all she hated Rapture. She hated a lot of things right now. She hated the coming loneliness that was most definitely in her future. She hated her father for leaving her alone in the world. He was her first and last hope, and now he had left her alone. For the first time since her father's first death, she felt truly alone. Eleanor looked up at the sky, and for the first time in her life, she truly saw the stars. She had only seen them through memories before, but now that she looked up at them with her own eyes she felt so small. She remembered Amir telling her about the stars, he even showed her some pictures of them. She could feel grief rise up in her chest as she remembered Amir, he was gone now. Lost to the Civil War and the fall of Rapture. She still remembered his bright eyes, his smile and laughter. She remembered their plans to steal a submarine and go to see the sun. It was hard for her to remember how much time had passed and how much things had changed. Those stars that she and Amir dreamed of seemed so far away now.

Eleanor felt the pressure of a tender hand on her shoulder, turning around, she noticed that it was the nervous young man from before. His greenish-brown eyes were soft and filled with relief and worry. Eleanor could see the stars reflected in those eyes and wondered why they seemed so comforting. He nervously tangled his fingers together, and she could tell he was looking for something to say to her. He pushed back a loose lock of his light hair before speaking.

"I-I'm sorry," the man started nervously, "about your father. I understand you... to some extent."

Eleanor gave him a questioning glance and he knew she was listening. He seemed to relax a bit, but the tension from before was still there lingering as a ghost.

"I know how bad it is to think that you have nothing left, but there is always something," his voice was shaking. "Do you think your father would be happy if you just gave up?"

Eleanor shook her head in response.

"I understand that you're lonely," he said a bit firmer than before, "I'm here for you."

He helped her to her feet and led her to the edge of the beach, motioning for her to sit next to him on the place where the grass met sand. The grass tickled her skin, but it felt strangely pleasant.

"I'm listening if you want to talk," he smiled at her, and there was something about his round cheeks and large eyes that she found endearing. "You can trust me."

"I don't understand," Eleanor confided.

"Well… sometimes bad things happen and people die. If you're lucky you won't have to get involved with their deaths," the man's eyes were distant, and she could tell he was remembering something painful. "You and I, kid, we're not very lucky. Are we?"

Eleanor shook her head.

"I'm so confused," Eleanor looked out at the ocean.

"What are you confused about," his voice was gentle and brimming with a brotherly worry.

"I don't even know," Eleanor looked back at him, and her blue eyes reflected the pain she was feeling. "It is so frustrating." She stood up and covered her face with her hand.

"What's frustrating?" The brown haired man stood up as well, gently placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Why do I always end up alone?" Eleanor's gaze pierced him, and he looked to the side as if searching for the answer.

"Sometimes it does feel like the world is on your tail, and sometimes it is, but you have to keep moving on. You've survived Rapture, surviving up here should be a piece of cake for someone like you." His eyes were filled with a deep understanding, and she knew he was talking from experience. "But you're never alone, girlie. There's always going to be someone who cares, even if you don't know it."

Eleanor felt a little comforted by his words, but she was still very confused over the situation. Her thoughts were swirling and she felt like she was swirling too.

"What's your name?" The question caught her off guard, and she realized that they were never introduced.

"What is yours?" She looked at him, and, for the first time in a long while, felt like smiling.

"Jack Ryan," he answered, holding his hand forward. He smiled at her and she could have sworn that there was something familiar about him.

"Eleanor Lamb," she answered, shaking his hand.

"Do you want a hug?" Jack outstretched his, and he seemed so welcoming.

"That would be nice," she replied, hesitantly moving closer and closer to him until their bodies collided. She felt awkward, her mother never did this with her nor allowed her to do this with others. Yet his warmth was so pleasant and comforting, and she wondered why her mother never approved of things like this.

Eleanor enjoyed the moment for a bit longer, savoring every warm detail of his large frame, before he let her go. His smile was bright and the way his eyes shone made her want to smile, his presence, even though that had just met, made her feel safe. And something about him was so familiar and comforting to her.

"Do you want to head back to Tenenbaum's now?"

"Yeah."

As they walked back together, one of the girls came running toward them. Her gold hair shone even in the moonlight and her yellow dress swayed about her as she ran. She called out to them, but Eleanor couldn't understand her until they got closer.

"Dad!" The girl exclaimed, almost jumping at Jack. "I see you found her."

"Yeah," he smiled at her.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked, the look in her eyes was one of sympathy.

Eleanor nodded, she was surprised that Jack was old enough to be the girls father.

"My name's Sally," the girl said, "What's yours?"

"Eleanor Lamb," she replied. "It is nice to meet you… despite the circumstances."

Sally practically dragged Eleanor back to the house, but Eleanor found the overly energetic girl to be very amusing.

"Tenenbaum will have someplace for you to stay," the girl laughed. "I'll even stay with you!"

They made their way up the front steps of Tenenbaum's house, knocking on the large door. The man from before answered it, he looked at them and then motioned for them to be quiet, pointing up at the ceiling.

"Sorry, Mister Porter," Sally whispered.

The man shook his head in response, smiling at her. He motioned for them to follow him, leading them through the living room and into a large hallway. He walked them to one of the doors and pulled out a pen and paper.

"_Tenenbaum set up a room for you in your absence. She told me to show you to it when you returned._" The man opened the door for them and then left, walking down the hallway and back into the other area, disappearing from view.

"You can just make yourself at home, I'll be right back." Sally turned towards the door. "I just need to get something."

After Sally had ran off, Eleanor turned on the lights in the room. She noticed that the bed was neatly made and that a dress and a note were sitting neatly upon the sheets. She walked over to the bed and picked up the note.

_I regret to inform you that I cannot be there to help you settle in, but I have asked Jack to leave some of the things that I had got for you in the room you will be staying at. I will be occupied for a long period of time because of the issue regarding Sinclair. I hope you have a good night. Sincerely, Tenenbaum._ Eleanor couldn't help but smile a little, what Jack had said was true, she thought to herself.

The dress was a mild yellow with a floral print on it, and she couldn't help but feel sad that her father wasn't going to be around to see her in it. It was then that she remembered something. The doll. Eleanor reached around to her pocket and pulled out the small doll she had made as a child. It's small watch face stared back at her and its little rope arms dangled down the edge of her hands. One of the girls was carrying it, they gave it to her before Siren Alley flooded. It was the only thing she had left to remember her father by, and she gripped it loosely in her hand. Its one little mimicry of a porthole stared at her in an almost judging way, and she found herself crying again. That seemed to be the only thing she was good at lately, and she hated herself for it. She needed to be strong.

The door opened behind her, and Sally walked in. "I brought you something!" The girl exclaimed, but the second she realized that Eleanor was crying, her tone changed to one of concern. "Are you okay?" She asked, putting her arms around Eleanor.

Eleanor didn't respond, and Sally looked down and saw the doll she was holding. Her expression changed to one of understanding.

"Was your father a…" her voice trailed off.

Eleanor nodded.

"I want to show you something," Sally said, walking over to the small suitcase that was next to the sleeping bag that she had brought. She opened it up and withdrew a doll, Sally walked back over to Eleanor and then continued. "This is Sarah. I've had her ever since I left Rapture with Dad, I can't sleep without her." She ran her fingers over the dolls cheek. "She's very special to me, ya' know why?"

Eleanor shook her head.

"Because this is the only thing I have to remember Booker and that woman by."

"Were they your parent?" Eleanor asked, choking back more tears.

"No, but Booker was the closest thing I had to a father, and the woman freed me from that bad man." Her blue eyes were distant with memories and her voice was equally as distant. "This is the only thing I have left of them, but that doesn't make me sad. Ya' know why?"

Eleanor shook her head again.

"Because at least I have something to remember them by. I will always have this to remind me of all they had done for me. If Booker hadn't taken me in I'd probably be just another life taken in Rapture, and without the woman I would never had survived to meet Dad. Sarah reminds me that I have to continue… for them, because they're watching over me now and I can't let them down."

She reached forward and put her hands around Eleanor's, tightening her grip around the doll. "Your father wouldn't want you to give up now." Eleanor looked into Sally's eyes and she knew that it was true. That she had to continue. She was strong, and that she wouldn't let Rapture break her like it did many others.

"Thank you," she said, pulling Sally in and embracing her.

(Sorry this chapter might be bad, I've been really busy preparing for finals so it was really rushed. The next chapter might not be out for another week, but I hope I can do it sooner.)


	6. Chapter 6

Sinclair looked down from the security tower of Persephone, his hand pressed against the glass window, he was watching Delta. He knew that Delta was watching back also, just by the way he looked up at the watchtower. His single porthole looking up at Sinclair's own. It was a shame really, that his story had to end like this, ending with the only man he had learned to call a friend killing him. But, Sinclair thought, this was what he deserved for all he had done. Sinclair told him about the code, and he was off. He was going to get the code to the security tower to kill him, and all Sinclair had to offer was his feeble words of encouragement. Even that was hard to manage, his lips were bleeding from where he had bitten them and his throat didn't want to push out the words that he so desperately wanted to say. He knew that he was going to die there, amongst the cells of the detention center. And he had accepted that, he even thought it might have been the way he was paying for all he had done. Even Delta had been one of his victims, a nameless and faceless man lost in a sea of others. That didn't stop him from being a bit scared though, and he still felt horrible that he might hurt Delta more than he had already.

His heart beat faster and faster as Delta found the full code and made his way to the door. Sinclair watched anxiously as Delta flipped the numbers into place and the door slid open. Before he could react, his hand unwillingly raised the launcher to his shoulder. He fired and through the smoke of the blast from the grenade, he saw Delta raise his hand, the red polyp that he clenched tight turned green in a matter of seconds. Before he could even fire again, the polyp was launched at him, smashing against his visor. A strange sensation of calm washed over him, and he was in a strange daze. Sinclair could hear a voice in his head, a voice he recognized from a long time ago. From a night that he had almost forgotten over ten years before.

"Sinclair?" the voice asked. "Can you hear me?"

Delta walked closer to him, quickly wrestling the gun out of Sinclair's hands, even though he couldn't fight him.

"Kid?" Sinclair spoke, his voice cracked with the effort of actually doing so.

"Yes," the voice in his head answered, and Delta cautiously walked over, standing right infront of him. "I have some things to say to you. Unfinished business."

"Kid, you need to just put me down and get out of here," Sinclair pleaded. "I'm not worth the time."

"Do you know who I was?" the voice, which he now knew was Delta's continued, ignoring his plea.

"No," Sinclair replied, desperately trying to hurry.

"You don't recognize my voice?" he asked.

"I do, kid, I just didn't want to believe it," he admitted.

"I am, or was, Johnny Topside," Delta slowly turned away a bit. "I'm only like this because of you."

"I know," Sinclair choked.

"You are a horrible person, and I don't know why I trusted you, I only did it because I wanted to see my daughter again," Delta turned and pointed at him. "But I'm going to have to put my faith in you one last time."  
"Kid, I'm not getting out of here, but you have to," Sinclair managed to get out. "Just kill me and go. Now."

"Sinclair, ever since I woke up I've been remembering more and more," the voice became low and filled with a strange nostalgia. "I remembered you, the night you saved me from those constables, now I'm asking you to do me one last favor. Something to redeem yourself. Please watch over Eleanor when I'm gone."

"Kid, I think you're going to live a lot longer than me," Sinclair stammered.

"I'm dieing, Sinclair," the voice almost cracked, the way Delta said his name almost broke him. "My heart is shutting down. No matter what Eleanor does now, I'm not going to make it."

Sinclair could only shake his head within the suit. His eyes were getting a bit misty.

"So, even though you are the last person I thought I'd trust with my little girl, I need you to make sure she makes it in that world that I used to know myself."

"Son, you need to just kill me now. I can't be saved," Sinclair was getting desperate now. He could feel the plasmid slipping away.

"You took my future from me, Sinclair," Delta straightened up, and the voice did too, "please don't take hers."

"Kid, you need to hurry." Sinclair could already feel his body being released from the spell Delta had him under.

"Please keep her safe," his voice was almost pleading. "Will you promise me that?"

"I promise," Sinclair said, if only to hurry things a bit.

"Even though you do deserve death for all you've done, I'm still sorry that I have to do this to you."

Delta raised his drill, turning it on. Sinclair eyed the weapon, watching it spin. He knew he was going to die then and there, he was just glad that it would be quick. Delta grabbed him, digging the drill through his flesh. Sinclair could taste blood as he screamed as the drill tore through him, pain mixed with strange relief. The last thing he saw before everything went dark was Delta, his one large porthole staring into his.

* * *

Sinclair awoke to the sight of a bright blue light, he tumbled past the glass doors of the Vita-Chamber and fell to the ground. Above him stood Eleanor and Delta, looking down at him through worried eyes. Delta knelt down and pulled him up, raising him to his feet. Sinclair held on to his arm for a bit and, even though he knew Delta couldn't see it, gave a sad smile.

(I'm sorry I backtracked for this chapter, I just didn't think it would have fit at the beginning. I apologize for how badly written this chapter was because it is two in the morning right now and I don't feel like revising it right now. I will fix it later though, so I'm not that worried.)


End file.
